Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Creating the Purpose

5 minutes

I gather students together with their white boards and share with them that I am going to show them three pictures of bears. I tell them I want them to write down as many facts as they can from the information they gather in the photos.

I project the pictures on the board and give them two minutes to write. I signal and ask students to share.

I tell students: Pictures can be used to tell a story or to visualize the ideas we want to share with our audiences.Who would the audience for this report be?" If they get stuck - I ask it another way and say "Who would enjoy hearing a report about bears?"

"Our objective for today is to learn how to create effective presentation boards for our oral speeches. You will use the main ideas on your cards along with what you, the writer, wants to share with your audience to create boards that support what you are sharing with your words."

Presentation Pictures

Guiding the Learning

15 minutes

I show students a blank tri-fold presentation board (you could also use poster board or even large construction paper if the cost for this is too high)

I tell them that the board is in three sections that represent the beginning, middle and ending sections of their report.

The beginning section is the left area and should present the information in the beginning paragraphs - history of when it was first invented, areas animals would be found, birthplace and early life of a famous person, etc.

The middle section should be the middle paragraphs and their involvement in their topic - pictures of their visit, what made a person famous, animal families/ food and interactions, how an invention is used today, etc.

The right section should be the final paragraphs of the report and should include other interesting facts, equipment or materials used, threats or endangerment of animals, what they are doing today for a famous person, or the place they died, etc.

I repeat that we create boards to show visual examples of our report information and to attract interest in our audiences

I show examples of past boards and students point out the sections and their themes (I ask students if they are willing to donate some of their poster boards when they complete the project each year)

I ask students who the intended audiences would be for each report? I have them point out how the colors and designs relate to the themes and add interest for the viewers. I ask how the titles help the audience to understand the purpose of each section. I follow this up with questioning on how the captions educate the viewers on the picture topics. Finally I have them point out the use of "white space" to make the main areas easier for their viewers to see and read.

Presentations board

Hot and ready

Ocean water board

Independent Learning

I have students design their boards using the blank template and outline defining who their audience is, what their theme is, what their three main sections will be, and how they will create interesting details for their audiences. They meet with me to confer before they are allowed to take materials and begin creating it.

I lay out supplies and give them out as they request to make sure we are not wasting too much paper. They are cautioned that they only get one board and need to create neat, legible and accurate designs before they glue anything on and that they need to leave white space to help their viewers see their focus areas.

Presentation Board Outline

Closing the Loop

5 minutes

We close the lesson by having students clean up and reorganize the supplies. Those who do not finish take it home to complete.

Then I call for student volunteers to present their boards to the class. We usually don't have too much time to rate them but that would be a good addition to the lesson as a learning point.

We end with their response to "In what ways do visual presentation boards support an oral presentation?"

Then students get their reports, note cards and materials sent home to practice until their presentation day. Depending upon the day of the week we complete these and how close it is to their date for presenting, we often keep these in class to continue to practice with peers and in other classrooms to build student confidence and skills.